THE UNTOLD STORY

Katrina Hero Faces Murder Charges

Michael Democker / Times-Picayune via Landov

Abdulrahman Zeitoun, left, is photographed with his family in their Broadmoor home for the Times-Picayune Newspaper.

Abdulrahman Zeitoun may have been a public hero, but in private he reportedly had a dark side. His story of canoeing through New Orleans after the hurricane to save his neighbors was the inspiration for Dave Egger’s best-selling book Zeitoun, but now the book’s namesake has been charged with plotting to murder his ex-wife, her son, and another man. Zeitoun, 54, was already in jail on charges of assault of his wife when he allegedly solicited the murders, offering a fellow inmate $20,000 to carry out the crimes while he was still behind bars. The inmate alerted authorities, and police arrested Zeitoun again on Wednesday.